title: Rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in clinical samples by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR).
abstract: Although the multi-copy and specific element IS6110 provides a good target for the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by PCR techniques, the emergence of IS6110-negative strains suggested that false negative may occur if IS6110 alone is used as the target for detection. In this report, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) system was developed using primers derived from the insertion sequence IS6110 and an IS-like elements designated as B9 (GenBank accession no. U78639.1) to overcome the problem of detecting negative or low copy IS6110 containing strains of M. tuberculosis. The mPCR was evaluated using 346 clinical samples which included 283 sputum, 19 bronchial wash, 18 pleural fluid, 9 urine, 7 CSF, 6 pus, and 4 gastric lavage samples. Our results showed that the sensitivity (93.1 %) and specificity (89.6 %) of the mPCR system exceeds that of the conventional method of microscopy and culture. The mPCR assay provides an efficient strategy to detect and identify M. tuberculosis from clinical samples and enables prompt diagnosis when rapid identification of infecting mycobacteria is necessary.
authors.affiliation: Advanced Medical and Dental Institute (AMDI), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), 52-1, Lot 45, Persiaran Seksyen 4/9, Bandar Putra Bertam, 13200, Kepala Batas, Penang, Malaysia, tangth@amdi.usm.edu.my.
authors.forename: Thean-Hock
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Siti Aminah
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Mustaffa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Musa
authors.forename: Zainul Fadziruddin
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Zainuddin
mesh_terms: D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D017931:DNA Primers; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D060885:Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000382:microbiology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D004269:DNA, Bacterial